2010 Conditions: CMH Summer Adventures

Western Anemones blooming at Pocket Lake in the Bugaboos

2010 Summer Adventures - Reports from the Field:
Flower, Weather and Trail Conditions

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 Bugaboo Lodge - July 26, 2010

Weather: Fantastic - perfect sunshine!

Snow: In most places you don't have to walk on snow unless you want to, but there is still enough for good bum sliding in select locations.

Flowers: EXECELLENT! Full-on moss campion on protected ridge tops; I have never seen so much golden fleabane on the ridge-tops; tons of columbine and paintbrush and even glacier lilies in selected locations. More flowers to come as the season progresses.

 Bugaboo Lodge - July 22, 2010

Much of the snow has left the alpine and the hiking is great! Blue bird skies with excellent photographic opportunities!

After a slow start the flowers are starting to bloom and it's looking like it will be a stellar summer for the wildflowers. Phacelia has really started blooming in the last couple days. Indian Paintbrush is starting to show their brilliant reds. Of course the Anemones, Spring Beautys, Marsch Marigolds, Cinquefoil, golden Fleabane, and buttercups are in their prime.

In places where the snow has just left, the Glacier Lilies are in their prime. Shubby Penstemon is late but starting, one can find Rock Cress in the meadow grass, and the yellow monkey flower is blooming in the streams. Rose root and other Sedums are doing well.

 Bugaboo Lodge - July 8, 2010

Conditions continue to improve daily. There are still bits of snow, but the hiking is amazing! On sunny days the temperature rises quickly and the remaining snow is disappearing fast.

Lots of flowers are getting ready to bloom - all it will take is a few more days of sun.

Already blooming flowers include Cinquefoil, Mountain Aven, Western Anemone, Northern Anemone, Roseroot, Sibbaldia, Wooley Fleabane, Phacelia, Buttercup, Spring Beauty and Purple Saxefrage.

 Bugaboo Lodge - June 25, 2010

Conditions improving daily: When the sun is out and on warmer days the snowmelt is quite rapid, so conditions improve every day.

The choice spots for hiking are along the ridge tops.

In the high alpine there is a very rich crop of purple saxifrage and alpine cinquefoil, very pretty , growing everywhere in all the rocky crags and anywhere that the ground has had a few exposed sunny days.

Most of the classic long exposed hiking ridges that are in the 2300 to 2600 m. elevation band are mostly bare although any low points along the ridges have large snow patches. Almost all basins and cirques at all aspects and elevations are still heavily snowbound.